Organization - Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

Organization Details:

The mission of the Literacy Council is to teach adults the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English in order to empower them to participate more fully and confidently in their communities.

Our vision is to be Northern Virginia's preeminent provider of literacy education programs for adults at the lowest literacy level.

We advance our mission through 4 academic programs, which include one-on-one tutoring and classroom-based instruction.

Description:Our "each one, teach one" approach is grounded in the idea of preparing community volunteers to be the direct service providers of basic English education to our learners. We train and support our volunteers to be the tutors and teachers who implement our four academic programs. We also engage volunteers in office, events, and other (non-teaching) support roles that advance our mission.

The Literacy Council's one-on-one instruction programs are unique because they allow the volunteer tutor to tailor the instruction to the needs and goals of the individual student. By teaching basic English skills, Literacy Council Tutors assist adults to pursue their personal goals and to participate in the community more confidently and effectively.

History:Since 1962, the Literacy Council has trained thousands of volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring to adults in our community. Currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary, the Literacy Council is the oldest nonprofit adult literacy program in Virginia, serving Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax. It is an affiliate of ProLiteracy International, a national literacy organization that certifies trainers and provides instructional materials and support. The Literacy Council serves, on average, 1400 adult learners each year.

Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
5Overall ExperienceBoth students and staff are very committed to learning.

I am tutoring both an ESOL student (from Morocco) and a Basic Lit student (dyslexic). They are both extremely pleasant to work with, hungry for learning and for communication skills. I am challenged to come up with lessons that are interesting and helpful for them. As an editor, I am personally more aware of the meaning of language and all of its nuances when I meet with my students; grammar, idiom and even cultural matters figure into our lessons. Helping another person to understand English enhances my own appreciation of the language that we all take so for granted.posted by sharonleereads on May 7, 2006

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